


Demonstrator

by SummersSixEcho



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, One Shot, Phic Phight, Phic phight 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-13
Updated: 2020-04-13
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:00:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23628085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SummersSixEcho/pseuds/SummersSixEcho
Summary: After a nasty accident with his parents' newest invention, ten-year-old Danny Fenton grows closer to the ghostly figure in his room, while he drifts away from one of his closest friends.[Phic Phight 2020 entry; prompt by Gottacatchghosts]
Relationships: Danny Fenton & Sam Manson, Danny Fenton & Tucker Foley, Danny Fenton & Vlad Masters
Comments: 14
Kudos: 117





	Demonstrator

**Author's Note:**

  * For [gottacatchghosts (octolingkiera)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/octolingkiera/gifts).



> Prompt by Gottacatchghosts on Tumblr: Danny's parents complete the portal sooner than canon and he becomes half ghost at a Much Younger age. How does this change things? Do his parents find out? Does he keep it a secret? Does Tucker (friends since kindergarten or so) know? Does Vlad get involved earlier, and if so, does this change his opinions/plans? [feel free to go wild with this]

"Oh, no... Danny, the ball went into the basement!" the ten-year-old boy yelled behind him, all color drained from his face. He'd heard the Fentons warn both their children, on multiple occasions, about the fatal dangers of going downstairs. Therefore, the room below was a complete mystery to him. He had always imagined it as a creepy dungeon, its walls lined with glowing containers holding ghosts, vampires, and aliens. He didn't know how a ghost and an alien could relate, but it sounded scary nonetheless.

The kid heard his best friend's footsteps get closer as he caught up with him at the open basement door. "What? Tuckeeeer... you know we're not supposed to go down there," Danny whined. He then looked around as if expecting to see either his parents or his sibling standing behind them. "What if it broke something? Mom and dad would kill me..."

Tucker cringed at the thought of having his friend added to his parents' paranormal collection, if it in fact existed. "What are we going to do now?"

The youngest Fenton bit his lip and weighed his options. Not having much of choice, he sighed in defeat. "Ok, you stay here and shout if my parents come back. I'll go take a look."

"What!?" Tucker yelped. He knew neither of the kids living in the household had gone downstairs before. "Aren't you scared of going down there? What if there's a ghost?"

This seemed to amuse Danny for some reason. "Mom says ghosts can't show up before they finish the portal. It's like, they can't form a body or something. That's why they can't study them."

The Foley kid stared in disbelief. "You mean... they've never seen a ghost?"

"Well, only the goo they leave behind at haunted places," Danny replied with a shrug.

As if struck by his words, Tucker tensed once again. "Are you _sure_ this place isn't haunted?"

"Nah, that's just what I told Dash to try to sound cool."

Dash Baxter, the official school bully, had decided the son of the town's ghost hunters would be his own personal target since second grade. He would steal either his food or lunch money, trip him on different occasions, pull wedgies and more pranks than he cared to remember. It seemed like his sole life purpose was to torture Danny. So, naturally, the small group of friends had tried different ways to stay in the bully's good graces. Or at least out of his warpath.

"Did it work?" Tuck asked, already knowing the answer.

"Not really," Danny admitted. "But at least he stopped making fun of Sam for liking spooky things. I still have the rest of fourth grade to get him to leave me alone."

"That's what you said last year," Tucker deadpanned.

Turning a bright shade of crimson, the raven-haired kid resumed his original plan. "Yeah, well... why don't I go look for the ball and you go keep an eye on the door?"

" _Fine_ ," Tucker huffed, his weariness returning. "Just... try to be quick, 'kay?"

His best friend didn't even reply as he went down the dark staircase, both unaware that was the last normal and peaceful moment they would have. After all, once the Fenton boy went looking for the light switch, the wrong button would change his life forever.

* * *

It took Danny a minute to realize he woke up in a hospital bed, a faint beep sounding repeatedly next to him. An unfamiliar, grey-haired man in a black suit was sitting on the visitor's chair to his left, a sly smile adorning his features. "You gave everyone quite the scare, little badger," the man greeted.

The kid tried to rub his eyes but felt the subtle resistance from the IV in his arm. This was a whole new experience and having a stranger in his room made him feel uneasy somehow. "Who... who are you? Are you a doctor?" Danny asked, although he was sure the mystery guy looked more like a lawyer or a politician.

There was something _off_ about him. An eerie sensation took over the bedridden boy as the creepy guy leaned closer, an odd, red glimmer lighting his eyes. "I'm an old friend of your parents. We met in college. Please, call me Uncle Vlad," he said with an equally spooky smile.

"Oh, okay," Danny replied, still weary of this Vlad guy. As much as he wanted to know what happened after the shock down the lab, he figured he didn't want to hear about it from this so-called uncle. "Where are mom and dad? Why are you here?"

Vlad leaned back again on his chair. "Ah, you see... your mother called to consult with me if there was any chance you could have... _ecto-contamination."_

"Eco what?" the kid replied confused. He had heard multiple ghostly terms from his parents throughout the years, but didn't really keep up with whatever they were saying. This one in particular piqued his interest. "What's that?"

The visitor stared at him amused. "Oh, my child. You still have so much to learn. In due time, of course." Vlad got up from his seat and walked towards the window, holding his hands behind his back. "Fortunately for you, my past experience will benefit you greatly. And me, of course." He then began to laugh hollowly. "Oh, that was just a little joke. Don't mind me," he reassured the boy.

Danny stared at him like he would pounce or grow a head in any second. He didn't remember his parents ever telling them about a college friend. No one had ever even wanted to talk about ghost things with them, much less a businessman. "You're... weird."

There was something feral in Vlad's smile as he turned to reply. "You have no idea, dear boy."

* * *

The recovery would be slow, the doctors had said, but with the appropriate rest and care, he would be able to go back to school and get his old life back in no time. Danny didn't mind overall, but there were things he still didn't know how to process.

For starters, he wouldn't be able to have his friends over until he had a complete recovery. That had been Vlad's suggestion, mentioning how he would have to get used to some changes in his metabolism and make sure the residual ectoplasmic energy wouldn't hurt anyone else if they were exposed.

The whole ectoplasmic thing had been weird on its own. Danny couldn't remember much about his accident, but he was told he somehow got the portal running, which had baffled his parents completely. That was probably why he had felt like dying when he got shocked by the raw energy powering it. This had led to two results: the nasty ecto-contamination, that apparently Vlad had suffered years earlier, which left Danny with vertigo, insomnia, weird readings in his temperature, and a hyperactive metabolism. To suppress it, Vlad had come up with a solution in the form of daily doses of puke-tasting pills that made Danny lose his appetite. Not to mention it made him feel weak and sleepy.

The other result was even weirder. Just like mom had expected, once the portal started working, ghosts began to appear in Amity Park. At first they were only faint shadows or glimmers out of the corner of your eye. As days went by, they gained strength and ectoplasmic mass, which made the Fenton inventions go crazy after the energy spikes appeared in different parts of the town. And that's how they were introduced to the concept of ghost attacks. Suddenly "The Ghostbusters" didn't seem like a complete work of fiction.

Jack and Maddie worked day and night building new weapons, containment units, and shields, as well as protecting the population from harm. Some nights, Danny swore he could hear the faint sound of blasters being shot from the other side of town, which led to a horrible sleeping pattern and plenty of nightmares. In most of those horrible dreams, he was convinced he was a ghost, floating and going through endless walls until his parents showed up to capture him.

As Danny hugged his pillow and tried to go back to sleep one of those nights, he felt a familiar chill travel down his spine. Despite the odd sensation, he didn't feel exactly scared. This had been going on at least twice a week since he returned from the hospital. He had tried to ignore it at first, not wanting to draw any ghost's attention, but then began to notice more and more details about the presence he felt. One of the most important things was this entity lacked any malicious intent. He couldn't explain how, but he just... _knew_ it.

"Hello?" he decided to call out that night. "I know you're here. I know you were here before."

The silence was deafening but the youngest Fenton thought he sensed something different at the foot of his bed.

"I know you're not going to hurt me..." Still no reply or evidence of the creature's presence. Danny felt somewhat disappointed and at a loss of what to do. "Hello?"

"Danny?" Maddie's low voice came from his bedroom door. The boy hadn't noticed the sound of the footsteps, or his mom's presence.

Not wanting to put the hidden ghost in danger, he shifted his full attention to his mother. "Yeah?"

The woman entered the dark bedroom and sat next to her son, turning on the lamp on the nightstand. "Who are you talking to? It's 3 in the morning, sweetie."

"Sorry, I... think I was talking in my sleep," he lied.

Maddie eyed him curiously for an instant, trying to read his expressions. After a moment, her look on her face softened. "You know you're safe, here, right? Your dad and I are keeping the town safe for everyone. You don't have to worry about ghosts as long as you have us."

Danny hadn't been able to broach the topic of ghost attacks before, seeing how busy they had been as they protected the town and their own family. He licked his lips and braced himself to ask the one question burning him inside. "Mom, are... _all_ ghosts evil?"

His mother gave him an amused smile, making him feel like it was a dumb question to ask. "Why, yes, honey," she answered in a sweet voice. "But it's only because they are frustrated. Think of it like a tantrum. They can't see beyond their anger, so it consumes them. That's why it's important to study them and whatever makes them tick. So we can help people get rid of any ghost haunting them before it gets too dangerous for them."

The room's temperature suddenly dropped and Danny realized in alarm that his invisible visitor was still there, not at all happy with his mom's reply.

"Oh, my, did you leave your window open again?" the woman asked as she hugged herself and tried to get her bathrobe closed.

Instead of replying, Danny returned to the original topic and tried to understand more about his mom's reasoning. "What if... what if I become a ghost? Will I be evil, then?" he asked with his head down.

Maddie dismissed the cold and held her son in a tight embrace. "Oh, honey, is that what this is about? Did you have those dreams again? You can't become a ghost unless there's a really, really strong emotion anchoring you to our dimension. That emotion is almost always desolation or anger. You have nothing to worry about, sweetie."

He knew she was trying to offer some comfort, but he felt she didn't understand the dread that had settled in his stomach... making him feel more alone, somehow.

"I... okay, mom... I... I promise I'll go to sleep now," he said instead.

The mother observed him before she conceded to end the conversation. "Okay, honey. You have an important day tomorrow. You'll see your friends, and go to school, isn't that exciting?"

After a month stuck at home, he forgot that was supposed to be the next day. "Yeah... yeah, I can't wait to see them..." Hopefully, they would help him figure things out.

* * *

Returning to Casper Elementary felt strange. Like he had missed a lot of homework and would get lost easily. His parents had told him not to worry about that, since his teacher was fully aware of the accident and would help him catch up with any new topic.

As soon as he entered his classroom, and before the educator had any chance to greet him, two excited classmates ran to envelop him in a single bone-crushing hug.

"Danny!" Tucker and Sam yelled in unison.

The boy in question returned the embrace as well as he could. "Guys, I'm glad to see you too, but I can't breathe."

"Oh, sorry," Sam was the first to reply, blushing slightly as she took a step back.

The trio had a lot to talk about, but their teacher asked them to take their seats and wait until lunch to catch up with their friend. As expected, not everyone was as glad or welcoming about his return. One Dash Baxter, for example, exuded so much envy it was almost palpable.

As expected, most of the school day was confusing. While overall the activities were easy to follow, Danny felt he was missing a part of the whole story when he was presented with unfamiliar concepts or even anecdotes about previous readings. He got partnered with Mikey, the best in class, to try to complete their work without much of a problem. He was thankful when the first part of the school day was over and he was able to go to the lunchroom with his two best friends.

"Danny... is it true?" Sam finally asked once they were huddled together in one of the large tables. Not many kids wanted to sit close to the son of the town's ghost hunters, but he tried not to focus on the shift in behavior.

"Is _what_ true?" He wearily asked.

Tucker panicked for a brief moment and tried to appear nonchalant as he answered for Sam. "Oh, Sam knows the ghosts showed up because of the portal. I... kinda saw it working when I went downstairs with your mom."

The memory still made the Fenton kid cringe internally. He suddenly realized he hadn't gone to the basement since he got the portal working. Not that he would ever be allowed back in there again. "Well... I... I only kinda saw it, too, in the accident," he said softly, not wanting to relive the vague memory. "But I know it's working now, so... Yeah, it's probably because of that," he added softly.

The girl gave him a stern look. "Is that why the lights are going out all over town?"

Tucker spoke again before the other boy could fully process the question. "Sam has the theory your portal is eating up all the energy in Amity Park."

"Not only that," Sam added. "If the town needs to produce more energy, we will be wasting more of our natural resources. And what it if pollutes the water?"

He had almost forgotten the girl's passion for the environment and her very vocal opinions against anything that could harm the planet, which apparently now included his parent's portal. She had even stopped eating 'anything with a face' three years ago, when she found out what the word "veal" actually meant. It had all spiraled down from there, questioning then other words in her mom's vocabulary, such as what a "mink" or "sable" coat referred to. The two boys heard all about it between her angry sobs the day after said discovery. While Danny could sympathize with her disgust, Tucker convinced him it was just a girl thing and she was overreacting.

Danny knew he didn't want to have this conversation at the moment if it meant dwelling on all the consequences the portal could have on the town, especially with how intense Sam could be once she had her mind set on something. Suddenly, talking about his accident didn't seem like such a great idea. "I... I don't know? Can't we talk about something else? Please?"

This seemed to bother Sam but she didn't say anything. Tucker was the first to take over the conversation again. "Sorry, dude... oh, I know! You'll never guess who Mikey got in his new deck!"

The new topic made the girl uncomfortable with the sudden exclusion, making her roll her eyes and get up from her seat. "Ugh, I'll go read something while you guys talk about your stupid card games. Later, Danny."

All the raven-haired kid could do was stare sadly at her retreating back. He was snapped out of his thoughts as his remaining companion held his shoulder and sat closer. "Don't worry about her, Danny. I really just wanted to talk to you about something," Tucker said in a softer and more serious tone, which was odd for him. "I-I-I _saw_ , you know? I lied and said I didn't dare go downstairs. I didn't even tell Sam I did."

It took Danny a moment to understand what he was talking about. But then several memories filled his head. A blinding light. Feeling like his insides were melting. A horrible wail he knew was his own. Tucker's terrified expression.

He closed his eyes for a second, as if the pressure from his eyelids could make the mental images go away. "I'm... not sure what happened. I _know_ something changed. Mom and dad called this creepy pal of theirs and he's giving me some medicine to fix it, but I still feel like something's _different_."

His friend stared in shock, mouth slightly agape. "Oh, man, you really don't remember?"

"Remember what?" Danny asked genuinely confused, although he suspected a part of him already knew the answer as his stomach became a tangle of knots.

Tucker turned to make sure no one was close enough to listen. "Dude..." he said in a still low but alarmed tone, "you were a _ghost_! I thought you died and all. I almost wet my pants!"

Despite dreaming about otherworldly things or feeling different after the incident, Danny couldn't fully grasp what his friend was implying. He shook his head and blinked to get the strange concept out of his head. "A _what!?_ "

"You floated," Tucker said and paused, letting the words linger for a moment. "Your hair was white and your eyes were like, _glowing_ and stuff. It was _super_ freaky. But then you fainted and went back to normal."

He had to be pulling his leg... "Are you _sure_ you didn't imagine things? How can I be a _ghost_ and then get better with medicine? I'm pretty sure that's not how dying works..."

"Okay... just... hear me out," Tuck said, doing a placating motion with his hands. "What if the accident made gave you ghost _powers_ but now your medicine is keeping you normal? Maybe _that's_ what it fixes."

Danny almost snorted but he stopped to consider this. Sure, his friend (actually, both of them) tended to overreact. And from what he remembered, his accident really had been a traumatic experience for Tucker as well. But still, there was this nagging feeling that he was telling the truth, however incredible it sounded. "I keep dreaming about flying and going through things," he admitted quietly after a while.

Tucker's face brightened as if he was finally getting somewhere. " _Dude!_ What if it's not a dream?"

"Ok, let me get this straight. You're saying I'm _dead_?" That sounded even more ridiculous when he could almost hear his rapidly pounding heart. "But... mom and dad say I'm okay. They're ghost experts, for real now."

But his companion wouldn't budge. "Well, yeah, but now they have their freaky friend giving you medicine. What if he's a mad scientist who brainwashed your parents?"

"Okay, now you're making it all sound like a bad movie."

"Sorry, but... what if you _don't_ take that thing he's giving you?"

Danny frowned and thought about the uneasiness Vlad made him feel. Or the sickening feeling after taking the pills. Or the fatigue. "I don't _like_ taking those pills," he confessed.

This made Tucker smile genuinely. "See? We're already on the same page!"

"I'm still not too convinced about the ghost thing," he replied with an eye-roll.

"But it's gotta be that. How else do you explain it?" At Danny's unimpressed look, his friend backtracked. "Ok, ok, don't answer that. Just... give it a try. We'll keep it a secret, okay? Let's just see what happens if you don't take them."

Danny hesitated. "And what if I feel worse? What if I do turn into a ghost?"

The dark-skinned kid pushed his glasses and smiled. "Well, you can tell your parents if it gets bad."

That didn't sound like a good idea considering his parents' unwavering stance on ghosts' evil nature. But he thought about telling Vlad. If his meds were the real deal and not taking them put him in danger, then he couldn't be as bad as they thought, right? And if that was the case, he would probably be willing to help again. Maybe. "Ok, we'll see," was all the boy answered. "And what about Sam? Are we gonna tell her?"

"Nuh-huh. You want to her tell you how she was right about your parents' portal and freak out about being a ghost? Be my guest..."

Danny wasn't comfortable with that. He didn't think Sam would get scared at all. He wasn't even sure he really was part of the dead. Or was it undead? In any case he was more concerned about facing her wrath if she found out he was contaminated. Maybe. "Okay... just for now," he conceded, making Tucker's grin grow wider as they shook hands. He just hoped that didn't hurt their mutual friend in the long run.

* * *

The Fenton household was quiet at last, after hours of hard work from the two resident scientists. Jazz and Danny had gone early to bed but were only able to sleep soundly once the noise downstairs had subsided. The boy's bedroom was only lit by his nightlight on the wall, which felt small compared to the big dangers _floating_ outside. The night had been cold, but the unusual chill that ran down his spine was something he was beginning to recognize for what it was.

Danny opened his eyes and looked around the room. As he sat straight, he focused on the spot by his closet door. "I know you're there," he whispered. "I can tell."

A couple of minutes passed and the deafening silence remained, but the kid was so certain he just couldn't let it go. "I know you won't hurt me," he added.

Instants passed this time before he sensed the cold sensation receding. At first he thought the invisible figure had decided to leave, but then a low, almost whispering voice spoke from beside his bed.

"How?"

Danny was slightly startled. One thing was to feel someone was there and another to confirm its presence. He tried to focus on the spot where the voice had come from, but nothing _looked_ different in the apparently empty space. "Can I see you?"

The voice didn't speak for a while. "How can you tell?" it asked instead.

This took Danny aback. "I... don't know," he replied honestly. "It's just something cold in my chest. I feel when ghosts are near, too."

"Do you know what a ghost can do to you?" the voice almost growled predatorily, and it made the boy feel like the gesture had more bark than bite.

"I'm...not scared of you. I know you're not going to hurt me," he insisted. He couldn't explain how or why, but he _knew_. And the feeling had gotten more intense after he stopped taking his medicine a week ago, so maybe Tucker was onto something, after all.

"Foolish boy..." the voice said with a hint of amusement in its voice. "Perhaps you're too naïve."

Danny tried to explain. "I don't know _how_ it works. I feel it just like I can feel when mom's mad with dad and doesn't say it. Or when Sam is sad but prefers to kick us in the shin and march away stomping."

The pauses taken by the invisible visitor seemed to be deliberate, calculating even. "Interesting," the voice limited to say. "What else can you do?"

The child stared at his hands and didn't dare to look up. "I know I'm different," he whispered, as if saying it that way wouldn't make it real.

In truth, Danny had been experiencing more changes in the days after he stopped Vlad's treatment. Besides his "ghost sense", he first noticed his tiredness was gone, now replaced by a boost of energy running through his veins intermittently, as if his whole body had been wired to a battery. Then came the odd glow in his eyes when he was angry or scared. Then the constant clumsiness, as he fell or dropped things, not really sure why. He told Tucker everything to have someone monitor his changes, but no one else besides him had noticed anything. He hadn't seen Vlad after being was released from the hospital either, but he had the feeling he would find out eventually.

"Is that so?" the voice whispered closer.

"And I know that's why you're keeping an eye on me. You think I'm sort of special," he added. Danny had felt the same sense of protectiveness he got from most adults in his life, some showcasing it more intensely than others of course. But this creature was... strange, though. As if it was taking care of a stray cat but didn't want to get too attached.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he noticed the faint movement of shadows, slowly gathering into a figure looming by the foot of his bed. The creature's vampiric appearance was intimidating. His red eyes shone brightly and, as he showed his fangs, Danny flinched. "Perhaps. Or maybe I'm just teasing my meal," the specter spoke darkly.

Not sensing any change in the creature's intentions, Danny tried to relax and stare at him confused. "Are you a vampire? I thought you were a ghost."

The figure arched an eyebrow and titled his head. "Aren't you scared, little boy?"

Danny seemed to consider it for an instant. There was something in the back of his head telling him to scream and run away. But a cold sensation close to his heart seemed eager for answers and detected no real threat from his visitor, despite the menacing appearance. "Not really. You're... sad, just like mom said."

The "vampire" glowered and the room became a bit colder. "Do you believe what your mother says about ghosts?"

"No, but you're sad she believes that."

The creature looked away. Then, he turned into smoke and materialized next to Danny. "Let me show you something," he whispered less menacingly. He extended a gloved hand with his palm upwards in front of the boy. A small, red flame appeared within his fingers and grew into a ball of glowing crimson light. " _This_ is ghost energy," the visitor explained patiently. "If I can be in full control of my emotions, I can be in full control of my power. If I let my emotions control me, my power controls me as well."

Danny stared in awe. He wanted to touch the ball of energy so badly, but figured it wouldn't be a good idea. "Wow... does it hurt?"

"Only if I focus a negative emotion into it, I can harm others," the ghost answered, letting the ball grow erratically as if to demonstrate his point.

The boy realized that wasn't just a display of ghost powers. It was a revelation of what was hidden beneath the strange specter. "You want to hurt someone," he said matter-of-factly.

The red energy pulsed in the stranger's hand. "Yes."

"But you're scared it can control you," Danny deduced, mostly out of instinct, or whatever it was this strange ability.

In a quick motion of his hand, the specter let the energy fade away. "I'm impressed, dear child. It seems like your powers are developing rather differently than I expected."

This took Danny by surprise. Sure, the ghost knew he was different, but having expectations about his abilities? "What do you mean?"

Another predatory grin adorned the ghoul's expression. "Would you like me to teach you how to reach your full potential?"

"Like... how to use ghost powers? I do have ghost powers, right?" Danny's eyes brightened as he spoke. How cool would it be to learn how to use his newfound abilities? He wasn't even sure what else he would be able to do. Thinking about all the possibilities had frightened him, but if he had a guide of some sort, maybe he could handle it, after all. For a moment, all the superheroes he grew up watching on TV, movies, or comic books became a closer possibility.

The dark specter nodded. "I can teach you how to control your power, so it doesn't control you." He looked far from Profesor X or Master Splinter. Or even Mr. Miyagi, from those old karate movies his dad liked. If anything, he resembled most versions of Dracula he knew.

If he had learned anything from all his comic books, fables, and other stories, it was that nothing came for free. Whenever someone handed a gift, there was something to sacrifice or give in exchange. "But what's the catch?" he asked.

His visitor smiled darkly. "Ah, my boy, you are quite perceptive. I'm beginning to grow quite fond of you," the ghostly figure replied as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. "There's no real catch. In exchange I only ask that you don't tell anyone about your abilities. Although I do expect some loyalty from my disciples, when the time comes."

That had been vague enough to make the kid question the deal. "And if I say no?"

"You have my word you won't be harmed as long as you don't get in my way," the ghost said sincerely, Danny could sense.

Still, that didn't fully reveal the consequences of refusing the creature's mentoring. "What about my friends and family? Will they be safe?"

The visitor paused once again, staring at the boy with an unreadable expression. "I'll let you think about it, Daniel. Sleep tight."

Without any other warning, the figure disappeared enveloped in shadows and smoke. After all trace of him were gone, it was like he hadn't been there at all. Danny couldn't even sense his invisible presence either, so he was finally left alone. For how long? He had no clue. But something in his gut told him he didn't have much time left before he made his choice.

* * *

"Well, you didn't tell me about your abilities. I was there," Tucker said after his best friend narrated the whole encounter during recess. They were sitting alone in a bench outside, while some of the kids played on the courtyard and others talked with their group of friends.

"Yeah, but... what if he hurts someone I love?" Danny questioned, still worried by the consequences of either options.

The other boy snorted. "Some crazy vampire guy shows up in your room and you don't think he will do it anyway?"

It did sound stupid, now that he thought about it. He had been so excited of being right about what his _senses_ told him, that he didn't stop to think about it as critically as the next morning. "Maybe I should tell mom and dad..."

"Maybe," Tucker shrugged. "But don't they hate ghosts and believe they're all evil? I don't think that could end well, either."

Danny groaned at the lack of help he was getting from his friend. Sure, Tuck thought about things he didn't even consider, but it only made him more confused sometimes.

"Hey, what's going on?" Sam's voice interrupted as she approached the duo.

Right, they had ditched Sam after the bell rang while she asked their teacher something about her homework. "Hi, Sam, what's going on with what?" Tucker replied innocently.

This elicited a glare from the girl in front of them. "Come on, you know what I'm talking about," she accused angrily, though Danny could sense some sadness as well. "You're ignoring me, you leave me behind, you don't let me play videogames with you guys anymore."

"We just like talking about boy things sometimes, right, Danny?"

The Fenton kid felt in the spotlight and didn't even have time to process what his friend was saying, when all of a sudden Sam crossed her arms and interrupted. "Are you kidding me? So just because I'm a _girl_ you brush me off? You agree with this, Danny?"

There was a pleading intensity in her eyes, almost threatening to break down and cry. Danny wondered how they got to this point. He didn't want to hurt her, but he wasn't ready to share the whole truth about the portal either. What if it got her more upset?

"I... uh..." he felt at a loss of any coherent word to try to remedy the situation.

His hesitance wasn't well received by Sam, whose lip trembled as he stared sadly at him. "You know what? Don't worry, I know you're a sheep. Keep kissing Dash Baxter's butt for all I care."

Without another word, the girl ran away from them and into the school. Danny felt a huge wave of disappointment and betrayal coming from her. He wanted to run after Sam and reassure her everything would be fine. Find a way to make things right.

He turned to look at the other boy sitting in front of him. "Should we really keep Sam out of this?"

Tuck sighed and frowned. "You want to put her in danger with the vampire ghost?"

The ghost-powered kid hadn't even considered that. He was suddenly highly aware of how different his life had become after the accident. The portal, the attacks around town, his freaky powers, his even freakier visitor, his parents' new role protecting Amity Park. Nothing would ever really be the same. "No..." he managed to reply.

His companion shrugged. "We'll figure it out, eventually..."

Danny wasn't sure how long it would take for "eventually" to be true.

* * *

**Four years later**

Sam hadn't expected her rally would generate so much buzz among Casper High's students, but she was glad it had. She knew the topic itself wasn't new at all and most of them had seen the posters around school with the usual demands. But something was different today and everyone's interest was piqued. Turns out she had Danny Fenton to thank for that. She hadn't seen him as angry as today. The goth teen would count it as a huge success, then.

Tucker Foley followed him close and seemed to be trying to convince the murderous teen it wasn't worth his time or breath. But Fenton wouldn't budge or even listen to the only person who could have persuaded him to stop. And that was saying a lot, given how the tech geek had been practically attached to Danny's hip ever since his parents successfully activated their ghost portal, and they got even closer friends once the inhabitants from the other side of the interdimensional door became more evident.

"You're taking this too far, Sam," Danny shouted from beneath the small stage she was standing on by the football field. "You don't even know a thing about my parents' work, so back off!"

As the girl stopped her speech, she turned to stare at the rally-crasher. There was always something odd about Fenton, but today it was eerie. Green eyes and dark hair didn't seem like the right combination for some reason. Like a glitch in the matrix. Like one of those cartoons with horrible continuity errors in the final shading. Weren't his eyes blue? "Did you get contacts or something?" Sam asked while squinting her own violet eyes.

The guy in front of her dropped his glare in a heartbeat and switched to a panicked expression, which would've been absolutely comical if not for the absurdity of it. Sure, her question came from left field and all, but it was trivial. For all she knew, he was about to drop a few nasty words at her before her silly question.

And maybe that's why, deep down her black, frozen heart, she still kinda liked him. Because he was anything but normal and despite how mundane he looked there was always something bizarre happening to or due to him. She wondered if they could've remained friends if, after they grew apart, she hadn't insulted in every waking chance all his family stood up for. Or better yet, if he hadn't been so adamant in protecting his family's monstrous empire of ectoplasmic pollution...

"Or maybe your eyes ended up as full of that toxic waste that you can't even see reason anymore," the girl finally added when no coherent thought came out of his mouth.

"Ok, that's enough," he finally snapped, which attracted the attention of the rest of the students hanging out by the bleachers. She wondered if she had somehow touched a nerve. "You want to call my parents 'mad scientists'? Fine. You're not the first to call them that. But if you think you can threaten us with kicking us out of town just because you don't understand their job, then you're more of a Manson than I thought."

Her fists clenched as the least savory words in her vocabulary crossed her mind. While he was always protecting his family's work, Sam wanted nothing to do with her own parents and anyone who knew them could guess why. "Oh, so you want to insult my family now?" she responded. "They are probably the biggest jerks and most self-entitled snobs I've known, but at least they're not endangering our water supply or putting a huge target mark on our town with their portal."

Despite all logic, Danny gave a low chuckle. "Shows what you know about the portal," he said cryptically. She thought for a second he was just bluffing about his ghostly knowledge, but she was sure he had probably seen some really weird shit down his parents' lab. "My parents can purify and filter anything that could've been contaminated by their work, but you can't say the same about your nasty attitude."

The girl knew better than to take that kind of bait, but this had been brewing for years. Funny how Tucker had nothing to say now, no witty remark or anything. "Are you sure you want to go there, Danny?" she finally asked. "Because if I remember correctly, it's not like they purified _you_ when you had your accident, did they? You could be like a beacon for ghosts for all we know. It wouldn't be too farfetched, seeing how we get more attacks at Casper High. It's like-"

"Would you just shut up?" he yelled and she felt a shiver run down her spine. Everyone fell silent, at a loss of what to make of the strange sensation they all shared a instant before. Danny closed his eyes and breathed to calm himself down. "Okay, just... I know you're angry. I know this isn't about the environment or whatever you want to make this look like. It's about feeling left out. Well, guess what, Sam? This won't make you feel any better. And what's worse... it won't make ghosts go away. You'll be sentencing Amity Park to its doom."

"That's rich. Trying to attack me instead of my argument won't make my point less valid. And if you think we need your parents to save the day, then I guess you're the one not paying attention to the real hero in town."

Fenton snorted. "What, a ghost? Weren't you just saying how this town should be getting rid of all of them? What makes you think he'll stay to clean up the mess you leave, if you go through with this?"

"At least Phantom's consistent and reliable. Plus, he has proved to have principles. Not that you'd know anything about that."

Danny smirked. "Didn't you just tell me to attack the argument and not the person stating it? Talk about being consistent..."

Sam wouldn't take that bait either. Besides, she had more important things to talk about during the demonstration than their old personal disputes. "Thanks for coming to our rally, Fenton. I'm sure people were _thrilled_ to hear all the strong points you made with such compelling evidence. Don't let the door hit you in the ass on your way back to the building."

Tucker finally spoke when Danny's murderous glare returned. "We should go, dude," he limited to say as he pulled the other boy's arm.

In other circumstances, Sam would've been furious or even sad to see her two former best friends antagonize her like that. But now she counted it as a small victory. If Danny had been rattled, maybe it meant she was going in the right direction with all this.

Still, a small part of her didn't exactly feel like winning.

* * *

The insistent ringing of the manor's phone echoed in the otherwise silent library he had settled in for the evening. The grey-haired man sighed as he put his book and tea down on the small table beside him, not thrilled by the interruption.

After answering the call with a short greeting, his eyes widened at the voice on the other end of the line. " _Uh, hi, is this a bad time?_ "

Vlad smiled despite himself. "Why, Daniel, what a lovely surprise. Is everything alright?" he asked in genuine concern.

They certainly had come a long way from their first meeting. While the child had accepted his guidance out of fear at first, the older half-ghost couldn't deny he had grown quite fond of the child. In him, he had found not only a protégé of sorts, but also a kindred spirit who understood the hardships of threading the fine line between life and death. As the boy learned to control his abilities, Vlad became more defensive of his newfound nephewand sought to protect him from everything, including his own parents.

" _Yeah, just... wanted to ask you a favor,"_ the teen hesitated.

The billionaire furrowed his brow in confusion. "Intriguing, seeing how you often refuse my help," Vlad replied with a sly smirk.

The man had offered time and again his resources as both Plasmius and Masters. Despite the poor job his parents had done in understanding ghosts' true nature and drive, they had taught him solid principles and lessons. This meant the younger hybrid believed in earning things on his own and always finding ingenious ways to solve his problems. Thus, he never asked or accepted Vlad's help.

" _Yeah, well... I'm not so sure I can fight this one alone,"_ Daniel admitted begrudgingly. _"Is there a way you could... I don't know... use your influences to get someone out of Amity Park? Or at least reduce the political power they have?"_

This piqued his interest even more. "It depends," Vlad replied. "Does this call for supernatural intervention or a rather vulgar display of human power?"

" _Uhm, human? Not that it has to be vulgar, whatever that means"_ he said quickly. " _I don't want anyone to get hurt. It's just... the Mansons are pushing a bill to force us to close the portal and get any ghost hunters out of town unless they have explicit permission to operate."_

"I suspect you are referring to Jeremy and Pamela Manson, is it so?" As a man of power, he was well acquainted with the elite in either politics, business, sports, or media. After all, he had to give himself a name and reputation after his rise in wealth. Among those circles that could either boost your image or destroy it entirely, he had met the Mansons and others like them.

" _Yeah, I... was friends with their daughter before the accident,"_ Daniel revealed.

"Ah, yes, I'm familiar with their testy brat," more than he cared telling the boy. After all, it was because of one of her protests that he had to rebrand one of his companies entirely. And she had been one of Daniel's friends? "I take it they are not fond of the Fenton name, hmm?"

" _Right, they hate our guts. They didn't even like Sam being my friend before all this."_

Vlad didn't have to be an empath like his protégé to sense a hint of sadness in his tone. This was important to him, then. He didn't want to harm or directly antagonize the girl. "I'll see what I can do, my boy."

" _Really? Thanks, Vlad. I know you're not in best terms with my parents, but-"_

"It could destabilize any entity on this side of the portal," Vlad interrupted. "I'm well aware, Daniel."

In fact, if it hadn't been for their portal, Vlad would have taken longer to permanently stabilize his ghost half. That's why he had been paying close attention to their work while they were building their gateway to the Ghost Zone. That's how he knew to conveniently call Maddie when the accident took place. He hadn't mentioned any of it to Daniel, but the boy had gotten close to some truths on his own. Someday, he swore he would reveal this and all the other things the teen ignored, such as his undying love for Maddie, or how he had struggled with his powers in the 16 years before the portal was done.

" _Yeah... Oh, by the way, I've made a breakthrough with my parents,"_ Daniel continued.

"Oh?" Vlad limited himself to ask.

" _You were right,"_ he said cheerfully. _"They started questioning their research after the whole Pandora thing. They couldn't believe mythological ghosts existed, let alone appear without harming a single living person."_

"I do hope they see some reason," the billionaire replied in all honesty. "It was such a shame to see your mother consumed by her biased hatred."

Maddie's words that night in Danny's room had hurt more than he was willing to let on. Although it hadn't obliterated his love for her, it was exactly in that moment he began to fear for the child's safety and silently bowed to give him a fighting chance, at least. Vlad had been so tempted to fulfill his initial desires of destroying Jack and taking back the woman he loved, but as time passed, his priorities had changed. He thought it was and ironic twist of fate how their youngest son had given him a more positive purpose and direction. The fact that the boy could sense his intentions had helped him even subdue his murderous thoughts while in their presence, lest it reveal a less favorable image to his apprentice.

" _I know, but they're coming around, I think. They haven't even taken a shot at me since then,"_ Daniel paused for a second and Vlad was almost sure he heard him gasp, perhaps as a result of his _ghost sense_. _"Speak of the devil... sorry, I gotta go take care of something. Jazz said hi, by the way."_

"Send her my regards as well. Take care, my boy," the man said warmly.

" _Thanks. You too, Uncle Vlad."_


End file.
